title: Notch and melanocytes: diverse outcomes from a single signal.
abstract: Notch signaling is an evolutionally conserved pathway that serves as a critical regulator of cell fate. From a series of studies, including a report in this issue, researchers have begun to elucidate the critical functions of Notch signaling in the regulation of melanocyte lineage development. With evidence of a recently identified role for Notch signaling in melanomagenesis, characterization of downstream molecular events may offer potential avenues for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
authors.affiliation: Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Masatake
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osawa
authors.affiliation: Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Melanoma Program, Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: dfisher3@partners.org.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D051880:Receptors, Notch